Evaporative cooler and bleedoff means therefor



A. B. GOETTL 2,856,166

EVAPORATIVE COOLER AND BLEEDOFF MEANS THEREFOR Oct. 14,

2 sheetsfl aat 1 Filed Sept 1956 INVENTOR- ALBERT B\ GOETTL SW7 2 v. O f 3 AGENT A. B. GOETTL Oct. 14, 1958 EVAPORATIVE COOLER AND BLEEDOFF MEANS THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 6, 1956 INVENTOR.

ALBERT B. GOETTL AGENT United States Patent EVAPORATIVE COOLER AND BLEEDOFF MEANS THEREFOR Albert B. Goettl, Phoenix, Ariz., assignor to International Metal Products Co., a corporation of Arizona This invention relates to an evaporative cooler and bleed-off device therefor and more particularly to a bleed-off device which drains a small amount of water from the sump of an evaporative cooler in order to permit the replacement thereof with fresh water and consequently avoid stagnation from occurring in the water contained in the sump of the evaporative cooler.

In conventional evaporative coolers, water is pumped to the top of evaporative pads while a blower forces air through the wet pads. The water pumped to the top of the pads drains downwardly therethrough into a pan or sump wherein a recirculating pump is located. This pump raises the water and distributes it to troughs at the upper edges of the evaporative cooler pads whereupon the water is used over and over many times. If a given amount of water is used and recirculated continuously it eventually becomes stagnant. In order to alleviate this condition it has been found that the drainage or bleedoff of a small percentage of the water, circulated through the pads, will prevent stagnation of the water therein.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a very simple and reliable bleed-off device for evaporative coolers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bleedotf device which does not require elaborate controls.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bleedoff device which always bleeds off a precise minor percentage of water being recirculated through the evaporative pads of a cooler.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bleedofi device which is very simple and economical to manufacture and maintain.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bleedoff device comprised of a small cup positioned below a drainage portion of one evaporative cooler pad of a cooler, whereby only a small percentage of the water passing through one of a plurality of pads in a cooler is drained off. The water which is drained off is automatically replenished by a conventional make up float valve in the sump.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification, appended claims and the accompanying drawings in which;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an evaporative cooler and bleed-off device, in accordance with the present invention, showing portions of the cooler broken away to amplify the illustration; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan sectional view taken from the line 44 of Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the invention relates to an evaporative cooler having pads 12, 14, and 16 disposed outwardly of a blower 18 which is adapted to force air through the pads. Below the pads is a sump pan 20 adapted to receive water which is picked up by a pump 22 which delivers the water to a "ice manifold 24 via a tube 26. The manifold is provided with branch tubes 28, 30, and 32 which deliver water from the pump to troughs 34, 36, and 38 in upper edges of the pads 12, 14, and 16, respectively. Water delivered through the tubes 28, 30, and 32 passes down through the fiberous material or excelsior in the pads 12, 14, and 16 and drains into a trough member at the lower portion of each pad.

As shown in Fig. 2, trough members 40 and 42 are disposed at the lower portions of the pads 14 and 16, respectively. These pads and troughs are all substantially identical in construction. Therefore, the trough 42 will be described in detail. As shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings, the trough 42 is provided with a plurality of channel portions 44 having raised partition portions 46 therebetween. In the middle of each channel section 44 is a drain opening 48. Thus, each of the pads is provided with a plurality of channel portions partitioned from each other at the lower edges of the pads so that there are a plurality of individual drains in connection with the channel at the lower portions of each pad.

Positioned below one of the drain openings 48 is a cup 50 which is secured in the bottom of the sump 20. This cup is disposed to receive the drainage from one of the openings 48 whereby a minor percentage of the water draining from one pad gravitates into the cup 50 through an inclined screen 52 therein and outwardly through a drain fitting 54 which extends through a side: wall of the pan 20 in sealed relationship therewith. A seal for the fitting 54 is provided by means of jam nuts 56 and 58 at the outer and inner sides of the sump pan 20 and cup 50, respectively.

As shown in Fig. l of the drawings, a conventional float valve 60 is provided with an external pipe connection 62 whereby fresh water is received in the pan 20 to compensate for the small amount of water drained off through the cup 50. The float valve 60 thus maintains the desired level of water in the sump pan 20 compatible with the operation of the pump 22.

In operation the fan 18 of the evaporative cooler forces air to pass inwardly through the pads 12, 14, and 16 while the pump 22 forces water through the tube 26 and manifold 24 to the distributor tubes 28, 30, and 32 which deliver water to the troughs 34, 36, and 38 for wetting the pads 12, 14, and 16. Thus, water drains downwardly through the pads 12, 14, and 16 into the troughs at the bottom thereof and drains outwardly through the trough and hole structure of these pads which is similar to that of the pads 16 shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. It will be understood that the cup 50 receives and drains away only a minor percentage of the water from one pad. Therefore, the amount of water bled off through the connection 54 and a hose 64, which may be connected thereto, represents only a small percentage of the water normally drained from the pads into the sump 20. Due to the fact that this small percentage of water is bled off through the connection 54 at the lower portion of the cup 50, the float valve 60 adds a slight amount of fresh water to compensate for that continually bled off from the cup 50. Fresh water replenishes the stale water in the sump 20 rapidly enough to prevent stagnation of the water which is continuously recirculated through the cooler pads 14 and 16 by the pump 22.

Various modifications of the present invention may be resorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an evaporative cooler and bleed-off means therefore, the combination of: an evaporative cooler pad means; a blower for forcing air therethrough; a sump below said pad means; a recirculating pump for pumping water from said sump to the upper portion of said n evaporative cooler pad means, a make-up valve for adding fresh water to said sump when the level of the water therein reaches a predetermined position; bleed-off means positioned below said evaporative cooler pad means for receiving a minor percentage of water which gravitates throughsaid pad means and drains therefrom, said bleedofi means comprising a cup positioned below a portion of said pad means; a trough member at the lowermost edge of said evaporative cooler pad means; said trough having partitioned portions adapted to separate the same into a plurality of drainage portions, said trough having an opening between ,each of said partitions said cup located below one of said openings.

2. In an evaporative cooler and bleed ofi? means therefor, the combination of: an evaporative cooler pad means; a blower for forcing air therethrough; a sump below sai'd pad means a recirculating pump for pumping water from said sump to the upper portion of said eYflPorative cooler pad :means; a make up valve for adding fresh water to said sump when the level of the water therein reaches a predetermined position; bleed References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,809,646 Sperr June 9, 1931 2,319,565 Stratton May 18, 1943 2,365,483 Mode Dec. 19, 1944 2,539,344 Carraway Jan. 23, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Servel, Inc. BulletinO. A. -C.-88-08. Copyright 1950. 

